Uncoupling mechanism for railway cars



Oct. 18, 966 A E. MOWATT'LARSSEN ,5

UNCQUPLING MECHANISM FOR RAILWAY CARS Filed Aug. 14, 19s:

2 Sheets+Sheet l F YI'GQI.

INVENTOR- ERLING MQWATT "LARSSEN AGENT Um'tedStates Patent 3 279 623 UNCOUPLING MECHANIM FOR RAILWAY CARS Erling Mowatt-Larssen, Bridgeton, M0., assignor to ACE Industries, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Aug. 14, 1963, Ser. No. 302,095 7 Claims. (Cl. 2 13 166) This invention relates to an uncoupling mechanism for railway carcouplers and more particularly to an uncoupling mechanism for railway cars having cushioned underframes.

Railway cars having cushioned underframes, such as, for example, sliding center sills structures, are becoming in common usageas the damage to'lading carried by such cars may be materially reducedwith the use of such cushioned underframes. In cushioned underf'rames employing sliding center sill structures, the sliding center sill moves as much as thirty (30) inches in each direction relative to the fixed underframe of the railway car. As the draft gear and c-ouplings'are normally supported by the sliding center sill for movement therewith, the coupler at each end of the car likewise moves with the center sill as much as thirty (30) inchesin each direction relative to the underframe. In addition, the draft gear and coupler structure is normally mounted within the sliding sill structure for relative lateral swinging movement and for relative longitudinal movement three or four inches in each direction. An uncoupling structure or mechanism normally has one end mounted on the railway car body and its oppositeend operatively connected 'to the coupler for uncoupling. Thus, in order to prevent damageto the uncoupling mechanism upon sliding of the center sill and swinging'of the coupler, the uncoupling mechanism mustbe'capable of moving with the coupler as much as thirty (30) inches in either direction relative to its other end. Further, the uncoupling structure must swing laterally with the coupler relative to the sliding center sill and the car underframe.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an uncoupling mechanism for a cushioned underframe railway car having a coupler mounted on a slidable member which is adapted to operate properly upon maximum longitudinal movement of the coupler relative to the underframe of the'railway car.

A further object of this invention is the provision of such an uncoupling mechanism in which the coupler is permitted to swing laterally relative to the fixed underframe or the railway car body and to move longitudinally relative to the underframe without damage to the uncoupling mechanism.

This invention comprises a coupler operating mechanism for a railway car' having a cushioned underframe, the coupler operating mechanism including an uncoupling rod mounted for rotation adjacent oneof its e'nds tothe railway car under-frame structure and mounted for rotation adjacent its opposite end to a slidable member, such as, for example, 'asliding center sill. 'A linkage structure extends between and operatively connects the opposite end of the uncoupling rod to the coupler and operat t coupl r 1 99a r on o h red. e linkage structure being mounted for traverse movement with the coupler relative to the slidable member and the car underframe. Other objects of this invention maybe in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the constructions hereinafter described, the scope of the invention being indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which one of several possible embodiments of the invention is illustrated,

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation of the uncoupling mech- 3,279,623 Patented Oct. 18, 1966 anism of the present invention on a railway car having a cushioned underframe;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan of shown in FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 3 is a side elevation of the uncoupling mechanism illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 2.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, a railway car is partially shown and generally designated 10 having an underframe shown partially at 12. A side sill 14 on' each side of car 10 and stringers 16 extend the length of underframe 12. Extending between stringers 16 and opposite side sills 14 is a floor plate 17. Receiving a sliding center sill 18 is a generally box-shaped center sill structure 20 of underframe 12. Center "sill 18 has a cushioned center portion (not shown) intermediate the ends of car 10 and moves longitudinally back and forth relative to underframe 12 and car 10 upon impact, buif, and draft forces being exerted.

' Mounted within sliding center sill 18 is a conventional draft gear and coupler structure generally designated 22 which moves longitudinally with sliding center sill 18. Coupler 24 may, for example, be an Association 'of American Railroads Standard F coupler. Engaging a knuckle 26 of coupler 24 isa lock actuated by a lock lifter 28 having an eye 30. It is to be understood that coupler 24 may swing laterally relative to sliding center sill '18 around seventeen (17) degrees in each direction from the longitudinally center line of the car. In addition, structure22 may move longitudinally relative to center sill 18 three or four inches in each direction from buff and draft forces.

Secured to underframe 12 are plates 32 on which an angle 34 is secured. Welded to horizontal leg 36 of angle 34 are flattened ends 38 of a circular bar 40. A generally horizontally extending intermediate portion 42 of bar 40- extnds in an angular direction of around thirty (30) degrees, for example, with respect to the transverse axis of the car.

Mounted for sliding back and forth movement along bar 40 on intermediate portion 42 is an'uncoupling rod 44 having an eye 46 receiving intermediate portion 42 with a loose fit to allow rod 44 to move longitudinally the uncoupling mechanism with center sill 18. A handle 48 extending below eye 46 may be gripped for rotating the uncoupling rod. Supporting'the end of rod 44 opposite eye '46 is a support bracket 50 secured to sliding center sill 18. A'clevis or swivel 52 is secured to bracket 50. Angular flanges 54 on' rod 44 position the rod with respect to swivel 52 and prevent relative sliding movement of rod 44. On the end of rod 44 adjacent swivel 52 is a bent portion 57 having aneye 56.

Secured to a plate 58 on center sill 18 beneath bracket 50 is a generally U-shaped support 60. A partition 62 extends between the legs of support 60. 'Mounted for sliding movement on support 60 is a generally U-shaped actuating member or link 64 having legs 66 and 68. A link 70 extends through eye 56 and receives leg 66 of rod 64. A hook portion71 on an end of leg 68 is adapted to be connected to eye 30 of lock lifter 28. Bent portion 72 on leg 66 prevents actuating rod 64 from being'detached from link 70. Link 70 and actuating member 64 form a linkage structure operatively connecting theuncoupling rod to coupler 24.

Operation is as follows:

Gripping of handle 48 and pulling in an upward direction rotates uncoupling rod 44 to lift link 70 and actuating rod 64 to the broken line position indicated in FIG- URE 3. The rotation of leg 68 resulting from the movement of rod 64 to its broken line position rotates hook portion 71 to lift lock lifter 28 thereby to unlock knuckle 26. Upon lateral swinging movement of the draft gear and coupler structure 22 relative to sliding center sill 18, actuating rod 64 slides laterally relative to center sill 18, uncoupling rod 44 and link 70. A slight tilting movement of rod 64 is normally effected upon the lateral sliding movement. Upon longitudinal movement of center sill 18 away from underframe 12, uncoupling rod 44 slides along bar 40 to the forward broken line indication thereof in FIGURE 2. Longitudinal sliding movement of center sill 18 toward underfi'ame 12 effects sliding of uncoupling rod 44 along bar 40 to the rearward broken line indication of uncoupling rod 44 in FIGURE 2. Longitudinal movement of coupler 24 relative to sliding center sill 18 results in actuating rod 64 pivoting or sliding relative to link 70 and uncoupling rod 44. Since uncoupling rod 44 when in normal operating position, asillustrated in solid lines in FIGURE 2, extends in generally the same direction as intermediate portion 42,'uncoupling rod 44 may move a maximum distance in either direction relative to underframe 12.

It is to be understood that the uncoupling mechanism of the present invention may be employed on all types of railway freight or passenger cars having a longitudinally slidable member on which the coupler is mounted for movement relative to the car body. While a sliding center sill has been illustrated in the drawings as supporting the coupler, other supports mounted for longitudinal movement relative to the car may be employed by supporting the coupler.

In view of the above it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous 1 results attained.

As various changes could be made in the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

1. In a railway car having a sliding center sill and a coupler mounted on said sliding center sill, the improvement comprising an uncoupling structure having an uncoupling rod extending in a generally horizontal direction generally transversely of the longitudinal axis of the car, means fixed to the railway car rotatably mounting one end of the uncoupling rod, means secured to the sliding center sill rotatably mounting the opposite end of the uncoupling rod, a linkage operatively connecting said opposite end of the uncoupling rod to the coupler for operation of the coupler upon rotation of said rod in one direction, and means on said sliding sill mounting said linkage for movement relative to the uncoupling rod and said sliding sill in a direction generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the car whereby movement of the coupler transversely of the car elfects movement of the linkage relative to the uncoupling rod.

2. In a railway car as defined in claim 1, said means fixed to the railway car comprising an elongate support on which the uncoupling rod is mounted for sliding movement.

3. In a railway car as defined in claim 2, said elongate,

4. In a railway car as set forth in claim 3, said means mounting the opposite end of the uncouplingrod for rotation comprising a swivel secured to the center sill and supporting the uncoupling rod;

5. A coupler operating mechanism for a railway car having a sliding center sill and a coupler mountedon the center sill, said coupler operating mechanism comprising an uncoupling rod extending in a generally horizontal direction generally transversely of the lognitudinal axis of the car, means fixed to the railway car mounting one end of the uncoupling rod: for rotation and for sliding movement relative to the railway car in a direction generally transverse of the car, means onsaid sliding sill mounting the opposite end of said rod for'rotation, a linkage structure extending between and operatively connecting said opposite end ofthe uncoupling rod to the coupler for operation of the coupler upon rotation of said rod in one direction, and means on said sliding sill mounting the linkage structure for transverse movement with the coupler relative to the sliding sill and the uncoupling rod.

6. A coupler operating mechanism as set; forth in claim 5 wherein said linkage structure comprises a generally, U-shaped member forming a pair of generally parallel legs, one of said legs being supported on the sliding sill for sliding back and forth movement relati've vto the sill and theother leg being operatively connectedto said op-. posite end of the uncouplingrod for slidingrelative movement.

7. In a railway car comprising a car body, a sliding center sill extending the length of the. car and mounted for movement generally parallel tothe longitudinal axis of the car body, a coupler structure mounted on an end of the center sill for movement therewith and movable transversely of the car body relative to the sliding center sill, an uncoupling rod means extending in a generally horizontal direction generally transversely of said car body, means fixed to the end of the car body adjacent the coupler structure rotatably mounting one end of the uncoupling rod means, means secured to the sliding ccnter sill rotatably mounting the opposite end of the uncoupling rod means, means permitting the opposite .endof' the uncoupling rod means to move with the sliding center sill in response to buff and draft forces, a linkage operatively connecting said opposite end of the uncoupling rod means to the coupler structure for operation ofthe coupler structure upon rotation of the uncoupling rod means in one direction, and meanson said sliding sill mounting said linkage for movement relative to the uncoupling rod means and said sliding sill in a direction generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the car whereby movement of the coupler structure transversely .of the car effects movement of the linkage relative to the uncoupling rod means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS ARTHUR L. LA POINT, Primary Examiner. B. FAUST, D, E. HOFFMAN, Assistant Examiners. 

1. IN A RAILWAY CAR HAVING A SLIDING CENTER SILL AND A COUPLER MOUNTED ON SAID SLIDING CENTER SILL, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING AN UNCOUPLING STRUCTURE HAVING AN UNCOUPLING ROD EXTENDING IN A GENERALLY HORIZONTAL DIRECTION GENERALLY TRANSVERSELY OF THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE CAR, MEANS FIXED TO THE RAILWAY CAR ROTATABLY MOUNTING ONE END OF THE UNCOUPLING ROD, MEANS SECURED TO THE SLIDING CENTER SILL ROTATABLY MOUNTING THE OPPOSITE END OF THE UNCOUPLING ROD, A LINKAGE OPERATIVELY CONNECTING SAID OPPOSITE END OF THE UNCOUPLING ROD TO THE COUPLER FOR OPERATION OF THE COUPLER UPON ROTATION OF SAID ROD IN ONE DIRECTION, AND MEANS ON SAID SLIDING SILL MOUNTING SAID LINKAGE FOR MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO THE UNCOUPLING ROD AND SAID SLIDING SILL IN A DIRECTION GENERALLY PERPEN- 